Fifteen Percent
by Yum
Summary: The experts said the survival rate was fifteen percent. You would think someone would have wanted to know. Post 'SWAK' but before 'Twilight'
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Fifteen Percent  
**Pairing:** non, gen, team fic  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** The experts said the survival rate was fifteen percent. You would think someone would have wanted to know.  
**Spoilers:** Post _'SWAK'_ but before _'Twilight'_  
**Disclaimer:** Bellisario owns them. I just kidnap them and feed them cookies.  
**Notes:** This was originally published in our wonderful gen fic anthology _Brotherhood #1_ 2006. Many thanks to the editors and proofreaders for making it one heck of a zine!

* * *

"Okay, Agent DiNozzo, ready to go?"

Special Agent Kate Todd watched as the gurney's rails snapped up, flinching inwardly at the loud clang. DiNozzo didn't seem to have any reaction except for a grunt, then a wink to Nurse Emma, as he'd so teasingly dubbed the nurse in charge of the isolation ward. He didn't even react when the oxygen line was once more reinserted for the journey upstairs. He did pause in his flirtations, however, to draw in a breath as a sudden bout of coughing jerked his upper body practically off the bed.

Kate rubbed her right palm against her thigh. She stared at the issued blue pajamas, her hand absently stroking the wrinkle that folded just above her knee, trying very hard to ignore the coughing, the nurses' urgent voices, and the rattling of the gurney. Watching Tony's face crumple into another fit was too painful to witness, but listening seemed no better. She turned her head and scanned the chamber she'd soon be leaving.

Just one day after they caught that bitch. One day after DiNozzo opened a letter he never should have opened and breathed in a face full of bubonic plague. One day after her team leader stormed into the isolation ward hell-bent to fix something no one else seemed able on fixing; not the doctors and not even the crazed Hanna Lowell who promised a cure in her plague-laced letter despite there being none. It seemed impossible to think, only yesterday, she'd thought she and Tony were going to die in here.

The hand now curled into a fist.

Kate looked around at her surroundings. The blue-tinted isolation room and its thick, reinforced glass still looked forbidding, so cold. She blinked, disconcerted still by how everyone seemed distorted under the UV light, the medical personnel going by like neon ghosts.

Kate shivered, fingering the delicate silver cross around her neck. She'd be glad to be out of this place soon. And Tony, now no longer infectious, was being transferred to the regular ward of Bethesda to recuperate from the damaging effects of the _Y. Pestis_.

_You could have left last night_, her inner voice reminded her. She'd stayed overnight to…she didn't really know.

_Keep DiNozzo company? _

_Oh, shut up._

"Any chance of a house call, Nurse Emma?"

Tony's voice, harsh, raspy from violent coughing, still held a bit of humor, enough so the nurse did indeed laugh and reply back impishly that she'd think about it. Kate snorted as the conversation drifted to sponge baths.

No. DiNozzo definitely didn't need the company. A majority of the female persuasion appeared to agree with the agent's own belief that he was charming; charming enough to ensure gentle companionship during his hospital stay. Kate rolled her eyes, imagining DiNozzo's boasting when he returned and the lewd remarks he'd share with their youngest agent, McGee.

Despite herself, Kate glanced back and saw the nurse tucking in the coverlet once more before turning around to fill out her clipboard. The moment she turned away, however, Tony grew quiet. He just folded his arms across his stomach and stared at the high ceiling, saying nothing. Lying there on the gurney among the white-coated activity, he looked almost…small and lonely.

_Ridiculous_, she told herself but found herself sliding off the bed she perched on.

"If you even think of passing on that cold, Kate…" Tony warned as he caught her approach in the glass's reflection. The disquieting expression on his face was gone now. Maybe never there to begin with. "You go stay on your side."

"Please," Kate snorted. "I think you have other problems to worry about besides my cold, DiNozzo." Immediately, she regretted her words when his grin faded. Not enough to be noticeable unless someone was looking for it. And damned if Kate knew why, but she was. Looking for it, that was. How odd to find herself missing that stupid smirk of his.

"Yeah," he rasped. "I can't imagine the reports I'll have to file when I get back." A cough cut sharply into his words. Tony winced. "This won't kill me. The paperwork will."

Kate laughed, her voice strained. "Think of it this way, Tony. No more isolation for you and me."

"There is that." Tony smirked although Kate thought it looked forced, the lines around his eyes and mouth contradicting the jovial tone. She reached out a hand before she could stop herself.

"Aw. Katie gonna miss me?" Tony caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. The smirk was back.

She snatched her hand back. "You wish," she snapped. "I'm going to take this as a vacation, DiNozzo. No more movie references, no more perverted jokes for weeks." She pretended to sigh in relief.

Tony chuckled, about to reply before another coughing fit took over. This one sounded horrible, deep and wet, so much so that the nurse was back beside him. Kate found herself pushed aside. She could only watch, a sinking feeling in her stomach as the nurse, all lightness gone, curtly ordered Tony moved upstairs immediately.

As the gurney started toward the exit, Kate hurried over to walk alongside it. Their eyes met just as they reached the exit, and Kate stopped where she was.

Tony looked over to the nurses, then back at Kate. He waved a hand feebly in the air. "Later," he whispered.

"Sure," Kate whispered back and watched the gurney get rolled away, past the mechanical doors and McGee, who had just arrived with Dr. Mallard.

"Hey," McGee called out once he realized who was rolling past him, but it was too late. He stood in the hallway watching the gurney for a moment. His shoulders slumped. "I tried to get here as soon as I could," he complained, entering the isolation ward once the gurney went too far for him to see. The doors hissed shut behind him as he gave the hallway another look over his shoulder.

"Ah, yes, but traffic was horrendous," Dr. Mallard explained. The medical examiner patted McGee on the shoulder, his blue eyes also looking in the direction the gurney took for a moment before tearing himself away. He smiled gently at Kate before pressing a small duffel bag into her hands. "Here you are, my dear. Abigail went over to your apartment and picked up a change of clothing like you asked."

"Thanks, Ducky," Kate murmured, her eyes still glued to the hallway.

"Abby's stuck in the lab a while longer. Gibbs wanted to finish the analysis of the letter and send those findings to Atlanta," McGee explained, misreading Kate's look. "She said to give Tony a kiss for her, though." He made a face. "I'm hoping she meant you."

Kate's fingers curled around the duffel bag. "No. I think she definitely meant you, McGee." She smiled briefly at McGee's groan. She looked over her shoulder, back at the iso-chamber. It was empty now; the bed Tony had been on was still rumpled, the blankets tossed aside. Squinting, she wondered about the spot on the pillow now flattened from use.

Blood.

Kate turned away.

"Let's leave her alone to change," Ducky suggested. Knowing eyes stayed on her face for a moment before he turned to the younger agent. "We'll be outside, Caitlin."

"Hey, yeah, we could go upstairs to check on Tony with you after you're done," McGee said over his shoulder as he was ushered out.

"Sure," Kate murmured as the doors hissed shut. It didn't sound like a bad idea, after all.

* * *

Kate twisted a strand of her dark hair around a finger as she watched yet another nurse walk by without a glance at her or McGee.

Hospitals were never the warmest places on earth. Kate always thought the walls were a little too flat and sterile for her. She remembered when one of her brothers had been taken to GW. A stupid accident with a skateboard and a set of stairs Josh still crowed about, proudly wearing the scar on the back of his head like a badge. The hallways looked so long then, so white when she stared down them. She recalled sitting there with her mom and her other brothers, thinking how stupid Josh was, having skated down those stairs despite a similar mishap weeks before. Kate remembered waiting, fuming, and there was still no sign of her father or brother from the ER. The annoyance at her brother's stupidity morphed into an incessant tapping of her sandals as she wondered why it was taking so long. Maybe Josh's injury was not as minor as her parents claimed. As the wait grew, Kate's tapping grew to the point her mother pulled her sleeve, hissing at her to stop.

Kate picked on the sleeve of her shirt. If only McGee would at least stop pacing the hallway, maneuvering around the medical personnel and the occasional uniforms with awkward apologies. Kate understood the younger agent's anxiety. They were all used to being out there doing something, not sitting and waiting for someone. She just wished he would go pace somewhere else. She was half-tempted to stick out a foot and trip the man.

Mallard, or Ducky, as they'd all nicknamed him, had gone to the nurses' station to inquire about the room Tony was being moved to. To her consternation, Kate had discovered Tony was nowhere to be found by the time she'd changed. At the nurse's impassive look to her inquiry, Kate snapped at her when they didn't get any answer on where DiNozzo was, the idea of sitting down to stare at yet another long white hallway mysteriously unacceptable to her. Ducky finally took over, escorting her to a chair and advising McGee to call Gibbs and Abby, before heading off to find some answers.

"He's coming up now," Ducky announced, his quiet footsteps stopping in front of her.

Kate's head snapped up. "Where was he before?"

"A slight irritation in the lungs was giving Tony some problems. They sent him to X-Ray again."

McGee frowned. "Well, he's gonna be okay, right? He's not having a…I mean…a relapse or anything?" A worried look crossed his face. He ran a hand across his close-cropped hair. "Cassie said the survival rate was fifteen percent. I mean, those odds aren't good, right?"

Fifteen percent? Oh, God. A chill went down Kate's spine. Her head whipped around to the ME. "Is that possible?" she asked sharply.

Ducky shook his head. "The _Y. Pesti_s is no longer duplicating in his system," he assured her in a soft British accent. He pushed up his spectacles with a slight tap of a finger. "Hanna Lowell's lab altered it with a suicide chain. The virus is dead. Timothy, you must remember the survival rate was based on the Dark Ages and their living conditions at the time. Why, I remember the writer Dempsey of Yorkshire wrote—" He cut his monologue short and studied Kate.

"Yeah, but sometimes these things can go dormant, right?" McGee persisted. "Is there a chance it could…come back or something?"

Ducky was staring at Kate for some reason. His lips pressed thin, he turned and frowned at Tim. "No, it cannot. He will be fine." His voice held an edge of warning.

McGee blinked. "Oh." He exhaled. "Good." He grew silent, his lips pursed.

Kate stared at the linoleum tiles, at the sneakers Abby chose for her. The Goth lab tech had found a smiley sticker and stuck it on the toe of her right shoe, but Kate couldn't find the energy to smile back at it.

Fifteen percent? She swallowed, her throat constricted. The plague was dead. _Everything will be fine_, she told herself. Pretty soon, Tony was going to be back, the same obnoxious jerk, bugging her, going through her stuff like her brothers used to when they were kids. Her eyes burned. But fifteen percent? Even now with all their technology, fifteen was an impossible number to beat.

_But Gibbs sounded so sure_, she told herself. Her mouth twitched. Only the ex-marine would think of storming into that chamber and _ordering_ DiNozzo not to die.

"Hey, should we call his family or something?"

Startled, Kate looked up at Tim.

"I mean, I'm sure his family would want to know what happened to him." Tim looked to Kate, then Ducky. "Guys?"

For some reason, Ducky looked extremely uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and said slowly "I believe Jethro would have made the call already."

"But when?" McGee insisted. He stopped pacing and stood there, already patting his pockets for his PDA. "We were both in isolation suits for most of the time. No way to use the phone, and then he went off with Cassie to make the arrest. I don't think I ever saw him make the call. Did you?" He turned to Kate now.

She fidgeted in her seat. "Actually, no. Slipped my mind," she admitted. A twinge of guilt nagged at her. "I don't think I even have their number."

"It's probably in his file," McGee said. "I could call Abby and have her pull up Tony's file and his contact info. We can give them a call and let them know."

"That won't be necessary."

The trio turned around at the flat voice. Gibbs, still in his khaki jacket, stood there in the middle of the hallway, legs slightly apart. He studied the group and frowned.

"Duck, I thought you were just heading over here to pick Kate up."

Ducky grimaced but said nothing.

Gibbs nodded with a jerk of his head to McGee and Kate. "I need you two back in the office. We still have a case to investigate." Gibbs glanced down the hallway. "Have to find out how the hell that letter was able to get past security like that. McGee, get me the sign-in sheets for the mail for the past four days. Kate, check with the local postmaster and find out who was on sorting duty the week of the postmark."

"Boss, we were just discussing—"

Gibbs didn't turn around. "I heard you, McGee. There's no need."

Kate breathed out sharply in relief. "So, you already called them."

"No."

Startled, Kate parroted out a "No?" before she could stop herself.

Steely blue eyes drilled into her. "I'll make the call if the situation arises."

"What situation?" Kate rose to her feet.

"If he's dead," Gibbs bit out. He stalked down the hallway before anyone could say anything. "I want those sheets before lunch!" And, abruptly, he was gone.

Kate stared after him in shock. "He…can't be serious," she managed. "Tony nearly died—"

"Gibbs has his reasons," Mallard cut in smoothly. He placed a hand on her arm. "Come, come. Jethro is right. There are questions that need answering. Can't do that here." He ushered her and McGee out of the hallway. Kate glanced behind her, but, seeing no gurney, her shoulders dropped, and she let herself be led out of the hospital.

* * *

It bothered her the rest of the day, a lot more than she'd thought it would. Gibbs' dismissal of calling Tony's family was nothing short of callous, and she wondered now if his storming into the iso-chamber was more out of irritation than of concern for their teammate.

Chewing the end of her pen, Kate stared at the report she was trying to work on. Her last statement about the plague-filled cloud that had billowed around Tony had faded to an abrupt syllable.

A shadow crossed her desk blotter. Kate looked up, her brow furrowed. McGee stood over her desk, rocking from one foot to the other.

"What, McGee?" Kate muttered, annoyed yet glad for the interruption.

"Uh, where's Gibbs?"

Surprised, Kate looked to her left, past the file cabinets the two cubicles shared for a border. Sure enough, their boss was not by his desk. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him since the hospital.

"Probably went to get more coffee or something." Kate narrowed her eyes at Tim. McGee kept glancing at Gibbs' desk, then past her shoulder towards the elevators. "What?"

"I...well, I know he said there was no need but, well..." McGee's eyes darted nervously left and right. He sighed heavily and placed a small piece of paper on the center of her desk. "Here."

Kate squinted at the neatly written numbers. Her eyes widened. "You didn't?" she said sharply, her head snapping up at him. "You did! Gibbs said—"

McGee raised his hands. "I know, I know. But I think even if I didn't...died, I would still want to have my family to, you know. Be there." McGee hesitated.

"What?"

"Thing is," McGee reached out for the paper as if to snatch it back. He aborted the move and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I didn't find it in Tony's emergency contact list. Gibbs was his emergency contact." McGee cleared his throat. "I had to google it."

Kate frowned. "So?"

"I just don't understand why Tony's family wasn't listed anywhere."

"Probably the same reason he wanted to be listed as my emergency contact," Kate muttered, remembering the cocky grin Tony gave her when he spied her HR forms way back then.

"What?"

"Nothing. So, what do you want to do?"

"Me?"

"You found the number, McGee." Kate grinned suddenly. "Your call."

McGee took a step back. "Me?" he sputtered, aghast. His panic was almost comical as his words tumbled out in haste. "What? Uh, no! No way! I-I don't know how to, I mean—Gibbs said no!"

"Then why get the number?"

"Well, because..." McGee's rounded shoulders slumped. "Just didn't think it was right, that's all."

Kate sobered. Tim was right, damn it. It wasn't right. Despite her own independence, there were times she did want to talk to or hear from her parents, even from her brothers. And Tony did nearly di—She shook her head and exhaled softly.

"Look, I'll call them, okay?"

"Really?" McGee sounded relieved. "Are you sure? I mean, I would do it, but I don't know what to say and—"

"I'll do it, Tim." She fingered the paper. She herself wasn't sure what to say, but it needed to be done, right? Gibbs be damned.

Kate steeled herself and picked up the phone. After the fourth ring, she was about to give up when a crisp voice answered.

"Hello? Hi, my name is Kate Todd, I'm with NCIS, Naval Criminal..."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **_Thank you all for the reviews. I know that SWAK is a pretty old episode. Thank you for giving the fic a chance anyway! This fic is in 3 parts. I hope you've had fun! I enjoyed writing it!_

* * *

"He's asleep, but you're welcome to stay for a few minutes if you like."

Kate nodded absently at the duty nurse's whisper. She murmured her thanks and slipped into the room.

The room was a private one, which Kate was sure Tony would be grateful for, but it also gave a feeling of desolation, empty and quiet despite its occupant and the plethora of machines surrounding him.

Kate looked around the room, noting the few bouquets and cards around the tables, grimacing as she recognized one name or the other from the office and realized with a pang they themselves hadn't sent anything. Then again, sending Tony flowers felt really weird when most occasions she felt more tempted to hit him with some, pot included.

She studied the flowers, the stray magazines that Tony must have been reading, although since when did he read Time or Military History? Kate stared at the discarded red coffee cups in the wastebasket, sitting at the bottom of the can along with the stray blood spotted tissues. Her tongue swiped across her lower lip and her eyes slid away from the sight.

_This is silly_, she thought. Kate took a deep breath and steeled herself. She turned around and finally looked at DiNozzo.

What shocked her first was the pallor. Perhaps staying in a blue-tinged room had given her the illusion that despite the infection, Tony still looked like Tony. Even as he was gasping for air, seizing as he fought the _Y. Pestis_, the blue hue gave the entire scene a surreal feeling. She truly expected Tony to be…well, Tony.

Tony, however, lay there pale, eyes sunken and drawn. His lips were still bruised and scabbing from the numerous, chest-racking coughs. His short dark hair, usually either slicked back or coiffed into spikes, were plastered around his head with perspiration. He was still running a low-grade fever, the nurse had said.

Kate remembered one time they were crammed into a rental on stakeout. DiNozzo, despite having pulled his seat all the way back, fidgeted the whole night, trying to fit his long legs into the compact space. It was unsettling to see him so motionless now, so quiet, his face lined with pain even in sleep.

Kate pulled up the chair, wincing as it made a metallic scraping noise across the floor. Quietly, she gathered the magazines stacked on top of it, setting them on the nearby table, and gingerly sat down on the edge of the seat.

"H-hey."

Startled, her eyes whipped forward, and she found herself being surveyed by a pair of bloodshot eyes.

"Lunch break," Kate offered. She shifted in her seat and self-consciously brushed the dust off her jeans, chiding herself for not thinking of bringing anything. Should have at least brought some of those disgusting candy bars he liked so much. "Didn't mean to wake you," she added lamely.

"You didn't." Tony winced as he struggled to sit. "Been sleeping so much, I'm gonna end up waking up in the middle of the night."

"Should you even be sitting up?"

"Breathing's easier this way," Tony rasped. He looked startled as the bed suddenly moved a tad. He stared at Kate for a second.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Kate toyed with the bed remote before putting it down. She cleared her throat. "So…uh, how are you feeling?"

"Super," Tony drawled. He raised an eyebrow at her.

She chuckled. "Okay, probably a redundant question. I, uh…McGee says hi."

"Probie?" Tony looked pleased. "How's he doing? Heard Gibbs gave him a hard time."

Kate snorted. "Well, Tim thought we should make the call and Gibbs shot him down hard." She chuckled. "He's been avoiding Gibbs' shadow ever since."

Tony looked at her strangely. "Call? What call? I was talking about the case."

_Oh, shit. _

"Nothing," Kate said hastily. She smoothed out a corner of his blanket, silently noting the extra coverlet. She briefly touched his exposed arm, noting the goosebumps. "Cold?" she asked quietly.

"Nah. Nurses just like to tuck me in," Tony grinned impishly.

Kate laughed. Nothing ever changed. "Harassed any candy stripers yet?" she shot back. "Or are they too old for you?"

"Not yet, they're not." Tony smirked.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you're recovering, DiNozzo. Don't know why I even bothered coming by."

"Aw, were you worried?" Tony placed his hand on his chest. "I'm touched."

"In the head," she muttered, rising to her feet. "I should get back to work. Gibbs has us reviewing all the protocols to see how that letter slipped past security like that."

"Yeah." Tony looked grim. "I'd like to know, too."

"If you hadn't snatched that letter…" Kate reminded him.

"Then you or McGee or, worse, Gibbs, would have gotten the black plague instead," Tony cut in, his voice uncharacteristically sharp.

Taken aback by the vehement tone in DiNozzo's voice, Kate fell silent.

Tony looked embarrassed about the outburst. It appeared to have drained him as well, as he dropped his head back to his pillow, chest heaving. Tony closed his eyes briefly as he coughed into his fist once, then twice.

"I should let you rest," Kate said awkwardly. "Have to go back and…you know. Back to work."

"Pick Gibbs up another coffee, will ya?" Tony muttered, his eyes still shut. "He said that last one was crap."

Kate's brow knitted. "What?"

"Go, before you give me your germs," he rasped jokingly. Tony waved another hand at her. He winced as another cough rattled, and he pressed a hand on his chest. His shirt wrinkled as his hand clenched. "Last thing I need is your damn cold."

"If you wouldn't eat all that junk, you wouldn't have to worry about some cold, DiNozzo," Kate huffed, but she turned to leave anyway.

"Hey."

She paused, her hand at the doorknob.

"What call?"

Damn it. He hadn't forgotten. She closed her eyes, grateful he couldn't see her face. "I uh…we thought we'd give your father a call. Let him know what happened."

"Oh." For some reason, Tony grew very quiet.

"Figured he might want to know. You know…stop by." Kate shrugged helplessly and looked over her shoulder. DiNozzo was staring out his window, his eyes distant. "Tony?"

"Shouldn't be making personal calls, Katie," Tony quipped. He turned back to her and grinned, white teeth flashing. "Don't let Gibbs catch you." His brow waggled. "I mean, he didn't seem too happy when _William_ the lawyer called last week."

"He just wanted to change the time we meet and—wait, how did you know about that call?"

"Oops. Uh…" Tony coughed into a fist. "Sorry. Got a little bubonic plague going on here." He coughed again.

Kate bristled. "Damn it, Tony, butt out of my calls, will you?" She made a show of reaching for one of the bouquets as if to throw at him but stopped. "I have to go." She pivoted around on her heel and aimed for the door again.

"Kate."

"What?" she said, exasperated. She spun around, hands on her hips.

"About that phone call…" Tony sounded tired all of the sudden. "Just…I mean, next time, don't bother, okay?"

Kate stared at Tony, but he didn't elaborate. After a few seconds, Tony's eyes slid shut, and he fell asleep.

Silent, Kate went back over, pulled the covers higher, making sure they covered his arms as well. Carefully, she slipped out of the room, taking great care to ensure the door clicked shut as quietly as possible behind her.

* * *

Despite the fact that she was now officially running late, Kate did make it a point to pick up Gibbs' usual at the local café: dark-roasted brew, no sugar, no milk, in its branded tall white cup. Waiting in line, she mulled over Tony's remark, smiling to herself as she chalked it up to Tony brown-nosing again. Kate found herself missing the fact that their unspoken competition was going to be put on hold until his return.

It was a good thing she did stop to pick up coffee, considering the minute she stepped off the elevator on her floor, McGee was coming at her with barely suppressed panic.

"He knows, he _knows_," McGee hissed, looking a little wild-eyed under the pretense of heading for the staff area for water. He zipped by her, an apologetic tilt of his head, and he was gone.

Kate blinked, hand curling tighter around the cardboard-wrapped coffee cup as the words sank in. _Oh, shit._ There was Gibbs, standing there in the general office area, his face set in stone.

"Had a nice lunch, Agent Todd?"

Kate gave him a shaky smile. "Ah, sure. Went to visit Tony, you know, see how he's doing and all."

"Very nice of you. You had a message." Kate didn't think it was possible, but Gibbs' expression grew stormier. "From a Teresa of DiNozzo Financial?"

Kate swallowed. "You see, I thought—"

"No. You _didn't_ think. I specifically said there was no need to call them." Gibbs turned on his heels, dismissing her. He stalked back to his desk, Kate right behind him. "If there was a need to call any agent's family, it is the team leader's responsibility, Agent Todd. Not yours."

"Well, you weren't going to call him and I—" Kate skidded to a halt as Gibbs made an abrupt stop and about-face toward her. She resisted the urge to take a step back and raised her chin to meet his glare. Gibbs stared hard at her, saying nothing. Then his face shifted a little, and he eased back.

"Teresa sends her regards and asked where she can send the flowers. She also sends Mr. DiNozzo's regrets. He will be unable to deviate from his busy _schedule_." Gibbs' jaw tensed. She could have sworn she heard his teeth grinding. But then he suddenly stalked back to his desk.

"Next time, Kate. Don't." His voice left no room for argument. He sat down in his seat and began pounding at the keys.

Kate's mouth went dry. "I…"

"Get back to work. I want to know why that letter got past our safety protocols."

She set her jaw as well. Kate went over and placed the coffee on his desk. She resisted the urge to slam the cup down on the laminated surface. The typing stopped, and Gibbs stared at the cup.

"Tony mentioned your last cup was crap," Kate said flatly. "Thought you might want another one." She didn't wait for Gibbs' reply and went back to her own desk. She scowled at McGee, who chose that moment to come scurrying back to his cubicle. Kate stared at her computer, ignoring them both. She did, however, note Gibbs in the reflection of her monitor, swirling the coffee in the cup before taking a long drink. Her gaze then moved to the little paper with the phone number scribbled on it, and her stomach churned uncomfortably. Kate shoved the note under her desk calendar and ignored it for the rest of the day.

* * *

After some tossing and turning, Kate sat up in bed. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes and stared blearily at the clock. Two-twenty. Rolling over, she thumped her pillow. It was far too early to rise, far too late to be sitting in front of the television set and watching whatever classic was being churned out on syndication. Besides, it'd only remind her of DiNozzo, whose fascination with movies bordered on obsessive at times.

Speaking of which…

Kate's shoulders slumped, remembering Tony's reaction. She regretted calling, especially considering Gibbs' own reaction. She'd tried—after work of course, in case Gibbs was listening—to call again, but the assistant, while sympathetic and sounding genuinely concerned, made it very clear that she did pass along the message but Mr. DiNozzo did not want to be disturbed for anything.

Anything at all.

"Damn it, Tony," Kate muttered. She did not want this on her or to know this about Tony. She was content in thinking of her teammate as the often-sexist jerk he played. But the more she thought about the lack of response from both Gibbs and the patriarch DiNozzo, the angrier she got. Her last report was shoved to McGee to be double-checked since Gibbs was already gone for the day. Probably just as well, as Kate was sending daggers at her boss through her monitor's glass.

She did swing by the hospital again to see Tony, guilt about the call motivating her to take the exit for Bethesda instead of Georgetown.

Tony was asleep again. The illness was obviously taking its toll. He'd looked paler than before, if that could be possible, the wheezing usually heard when awake was still audible in his sleep. Kate found herself occupied with clearing off coffee cups and stacks of magazines, mentally making note to have McGee bring some Tony would enjoy reading more because she sure as hell wasn't going to be caught dead buying those herself.

Tony never woke but did mutter in his sleep from time to time, his brow furrowing in pain. Kate stayed for as long as she could, she wasn't sure why. Maybe to apologize? But for what? Tony never mentioned anything about his family except for that trust fund and the casual aside about his mother's obsession with Louie the fourteenth furniture. What did she care if his father didn't show? Yet Kate still felt compelled to wait until the duty nurse regretfully told her visiting hours were over.

She toyed with the idea of dropping by again, but a long, restless night caused her to wake up late, bleary eyed, and in a mad rash for the door without ironing the chino suit she set out the night before. It put her in a foul mood, especially when she checked her cellphone and realized there was still no call from Teresa or Tony's family despite her messages.

It was with that sour face and wrinkled shirt that Kate entered the office, throwing her purse down on the desk and proceeding to grab her phone, ready to give them a piece of her mind. Looking up, however, she saw Tim McGee's white face.

Something twisted in her gut. "Tim?" She lowered the phone. "What is it?"

McGee was sitting on the edge of his desk, looking stunned. At his name, he blinked and swallowed hard.

"Abby just found out. Uh, this morning."

"What, McGee?" Kate's hand curled tighter around the phone. "Tony?"

McGee nodded. "Last night…uh…I mean…I thought it was, or Ducky was saying something about an inflammation around the bronc—"

"Tim!" Kate stood up, her palms flat on her desk. "What is it?"

"They moved Tony back to ICU last night." Tim blurted out in a rush. "They've listed him in critical condition."

Kate's eyes widened. "He was…He was fine." She braced the edge of her desk. Her knees felt wobbly all of the sudden. "I just…I just saw him yesterday," she added weakly.

"Same here," McGee said glumly. He sat on the edge of his desk, looking down at his shoes.

"Wait. Did you say last night? Why didn't we hear about this until now?" Kate demanded. She whipped around toward Gibbs' desk. His desk empty save for a single red coffee cup indicating he did indeed come in to work. "Where's Gibbs?"

"We should call his family again. Let them know," McGee stammered. He fumbled around his desk. Pens rattled as he searched. "I had their number here somewhere. Damn it, where is it?"

"I would advise against it, my boy." Mallard's cultured voice smoothly cut in. The M.E garbed in his crisp oxford shirt and bow tie stood by Tim's desk with a disapproving frown. "After all, Gibbs warned us against it."

"That was before this," Tim protested. "I mean ICU is serious. It's—"

"Merely a precaution," Ducky raised his hand. "The doctors told Jethro it was merely to monitor the situation and keep a closer eye on him. If all goes well, young Anthony will be returning to his usual room by this evening."

McGee glanced over to Kate, then back to the coroner. "Really?"

"The doctors were quite clear with Jethro this morning."

"They should have still told us," Kate fumed, sitting back down again. "If they moved him last night, they could have told us."

"And you'd do what?" Ducky said. "Caitlin, be reasonable. They wouldn't have allowed many visitors in ICU and Tony was sedated. He wouldn't have even known you were there."

_Yeah, but we would have_, she thought, but held her tongue as she saw Gibbs coming down the stairs from MTAC.

"McGee," Gibbs barked as he hurried down the metal steps. "I want you to check on Davenport's postal center. The letter should have been routed there after New Jersey. Find out who would have been filtering the mail."

McGee exchanged a look with Kate before heading for his desk.

Kate sighed. She grabbed the slip of paper under her calendar. Rubbing her thumb across the face of the folds, Kate took a deep breath before getting up from her seat.

"Here." She offered the paper to Gibbs. The lead agent looked at if it as if was going to bite him.

"We heard Tony's been moved to the ICU," Kate said. The initials ICU stuck in her throat and came out choked. "I thought. I mean, we thought, maybe we should give Tony's family a call. It's—"

Gibbs' eyes narrowed to dark flints, grinding Kate's words to a halt.

"I thought they said Tony's in ICU," Gibbs gritted out. "Not the morgue." His gaze moved down to the paper she still held out to him.

Kate wouldn't budge. A muscle in his jaw twitched, and Gibbs curled his fingers tight on one end of the paper. With a jerk, he snatched it away.

"Davenport's processing center logs and scans all mail," Gibbs said tightly. "I want a list of who was working the day of that postmark." He raised the crumpled paper now in his grasp. "If you had enough time to find this number, Agent Todd, you'll have time to get me that list." He rubbed his fingers together and the paper rolled into a ball. "Don't waste your time."

"Waste my time?" Kate bristled. "Those are his—"

"Don't waste your time calling people who can't even take the time to write out their own damn card," Gibbs hissed loud enough for only Kate to hear.

Kate froze.

Gibbs turned on his heel and stalked back to his desk. His left hand whipped forward to snag the coffee by the desk, the other tossing the number into his wastebasket.

"You're not going to try?" Kate asked one last desperate time.

"No," Gibbs said. He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. "Piece of crap," he muttered. The cup made a beeline to his wastebasket as well, the remaining coffee sloshing loudly as it spilled into the trash.

Kate stuck out her chin and headed for her desk, as well. Sitting down with a thump, she glanced over at McGee. His head was bowed over the keyboard, typing rapidly away, but she doubted he knew what he was writing. Gibbs pointedly ignored her, ignored the younger agent, and was reading a file intensely. The burst of anger he displayed before was gone and it looked like business as usual.

Kate sucked in a deep breath. Then another. But she couldn't get her mind to stop reeling. He wouldn't even try, damn it. Gibbs was right.

The second B _was_ for bastard.

* * *

_Conclusion tomorrow. You guys have been great!!!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **_Again, thank you all for your reviews. I wanted to reply to each one and may have mistakenly answered sme twice. Drat FF system changes. Forgive the -duh- moment. LOL. I wanted you to all know that your comments, pointers, con crit have been most welcomed. I hope this ending doesn't disappoint. Much love, Yuma_

* * *

Ducky, despite usually being down in the bowels of the autopsy room, always seemed to have an innate sense when something was off. Kate was surprised to find the elderly ME in the bullpen this late in the evening.

A quick scan of the desks clustered around Gibbs' domain and noting Gibbs was already gone for the day, Ducky shook his head ruefully. He probably saw something everyone else on the floor suspected and steered away from. Clearing his throat, Ducky announced he was going to visit Tony at ICU and would there perhaps be anyone interesting in coming along?

He made no show of hiding his smile when the multiple responses were immediate.

Kate found herself chauffeuring everyone to the hospital, leaving no moment for her to mull over the day's events. Probably just as well, she thought, considering how she spent most of the day glaring at the computer monitor and Gibbs' distant reflection. It wouldn't have helped matters if she had snapped back at him. Way to kill a career.

The hospital was quiet when they arrived, and they easily found a nurse to tell them where the ICU ward was. The nurse also added with sympathetic regret it was limited to one visitor at a time.

Kate contented herself with sitting outside the waiting area as everyone took his or her turn.

"You think Tony knows?"

Kate looked up from an old Newsweek she was flipping through. McGee was watching Abby in the ICU ward, the viewing window clearly showing the Goth technician talking to Tony despite the fact DiNozzo was sedated and asleep.

"Knows what?" Kate watched with a half-smile as Abby gestured in the air, undoubtedly reenacting something, although from here she couldn't tell what.

McGee cleared his throat. "That we, uh, called his family."

Kate stared at the magazine in her hand. It curled as she tightened her grip. "Probably."

"Damn."

Ducky didn't look at them, oddly engrossed in the silent miming happening in ICU. "I'm sure Tony knew you meant well," he murmured.

"I just don't understand why they never called back or even stopped by," McGee insisted. He ran a harried hand over his head, scrubbing his face before slumping back into his seat.

"They might have stopped by before and we didn't know it," Kate suggested. The twisting, sick feeling in her stomach said otherwise.

"Excuse me." A petite nurse with short brunette hair approached them. "Are you with Mr. DiNozzo?" She nodded toward the ICU window, cocking an eyebrow at Abby, who was now doing some weird animal puppet, her black pigtails bouncing actively to some beat only she could hear.

"Yes, we are," Ducky paused, concern growing. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," the nurse was quick to say. "Nothing's wrong. Everything seems fine, and if all stays stable, he will be moved back to the regular floor tomorrow morning." She pulled out a small bag, revealing some cards inside.

"Mr. DiNozzo received a few bouquets after he was transferred. Unfortunately, due to his current condition, we couldn't allow them in the ICU, and the flowers had been removed. We did keep the cards that came with them in case he wanted to read them."

"How thoughtful." Ducky thanked her, accepting the bag before she left. McGee curiously poked through the stack with a finger. He blinked.

"Hey, I think you're right, Kate," McGee brightened.

McGee pulled out a small gift card that was once attached to a bouquet. He passed it to Kate.

"Looks like they tried?" McGee said hopefully. He looked overwhelmingly relieved to find the card.

"Perhaps," Ducky murmured, exchanging a look with Kate. It was clear someone else written the note and had Mr. DiNozzo signed it. She wondered if the senior DiNozzo even knew what he was signing.

Kate turned the card slowly in her hand, making a face at the frayed piece of pink ribbon dangling off its notch. "Get well soon" was written in concise lettering on the card, the signature below it a sloppy B.N. DiNozzo that trailed off the edge of the card, cutting off the last "z" and"o".

"He looks better," Abby announced as she reached their side. She nodded to Ducky, her hair swinging. "I mean, he doesn't look very Bela Lugosi anymore."

Kate grimaced, the image a little too close for comfort for her. She instead sat back and watched Ducky through the window and bided her time until it was her turn.

* * *

Despite what Abby said and what Ducky how reassured them, Kate thought, in all essence, that Tony still looked like crap. And worse, the oxygen line and the various IV bags dangling over him like a bundle of colorless balloons were back.

"Hey...DiNozzo." Kate paused. It felt so odd hearing her voice out loud, unanswered. The soft beeping in the background filled the void. Kate sat down on the nearby chair. She grimaced at the stack of magazines.

"McGee got you some new reading material," she told the sleeping agent. "Sure you'll appreciate the swimsuit issues more than those old Time and Military History ones, although I didn't expect you to be a history buff, Tony." Kate flipped through one idly, noting some corners were folded in. "Damaging public property, DiNozzo?" Kate tsked, quickly skimming the article on the Gettysburg battlefield. "Least you don't have to worry about being able to sleep," she muttered as she scanned the article. She set the issue down, stacking it on top of the more raunchy ones Tim brought in.

"There was a bunch of flowers for you here," Kate went on. Guiltily, she fingered the card Tim found inside her pocket. "Big surprise, some of those girls know how to spell, too." She laughed awkwardly before realizing it just wasn't the same without Tony firing one back at her. Kate cleared her throat.

"You know, everyone keeps saying 'fifteen percent,'" she said softly. She ran her hands across the purse on her lap. "But you've never been about numbers, right?" Kate sighed. "Okay, think of it this way. Gibbs has been a complete ass with you in here. Give it a couple of days, he'll be slapping the backs of _our_ heads. You better hurry up and get out of here before Gibbs does." She leaned forward and looked at Tony earnestly. Tony never replied, his chest rising slowly as he lay tucked into the bed. He still looked cold. Kate pulled his covers a little higher to his shoulders.

Suddenly, one of the machines wailed.

Kate jumped up, her purse tumbling off her lap and spilling its contents under the bed. She frantically looked around, the beeping louder and filling the room. Oh, God, what did she do? What was happening?

"It's okay, it's okay," a soft voice assured her. A nurse came rushing into the room. Kate could see Ducky and the rest of the group on their feet, peering anxiously towards the window. They could hear the wailing from where they were.

"I just tried to..." Kate struggled to explain. "He looked cold."

The nurse, with a kind, lined face and bright green eyes, nodded. Kate calmed at her smile. The nurse didn't seem worried, only amused as she pointed to one of the monitor lines on the blankets.

"Must have come dislodged," the nurse just said before reattaching it. Sure enough, the beeping stopped.

Kate stammered an apology before crouching down to pick up the contents of her purse. After a few failed attempts to shove her lip gloss and wallet in—her hands were shaking, why were they shaking?—Kate rocked back on her heels and gulped. Stale air burned her throat.

"Would you like a few more minutes?" the nurse asked gently, wise eyes tracking her as Kate rose to her feet, fumbling to loop the purse strap back over her shoulder.

"N-no," she stuttered, already backing up. "I should…they would want to see him, too." She escaped before the nurse could ask again. She mumbled she needed the restroom as she went by her friends, ignoring Mallard's soft call, or McGee's queries. Instead, she pushed forcefully at the bathroom door and steered for the sink. Shaking, her hands couldn't get the sink faucet to work. With a squeak, cold water gushed out, over the sink and her sleeves.

Kate staggered back, her purse dropping to the floor. She stumbled until her back hit one of the stall doors; another step, and she sat down on the toilet. The door swung shut, startling her. Kate stared at the beige metal door swinging, not catching the lock, the sink bubbling with water, her purse sitting in a pool of it on the floor. The dark puddle reflected the shadows and looked like blood.

Kate slammed the stall shut and sat there, her hand in her mouth, trying very hard not to throw up.

* * *

Whether anyone noticed or thought it strange she took so long in the bathroom, no one mentioned it. After McGee had his turn, Ducky suggested a quick bite to eat at the nearby café across from the hospital before they all headed home. Kate found herself out-voted and resigned herself to being tugged along by Abby, who was chatting away about all the cards she was nosing through while everyone had their visits.

The café, with its deep burgundy red umbrellas and matching canopy, reminded Kate of the European bistros she'd happened upon during her career in the Secret Service, accompanying the president during his Euro tour. Apparently, the owner had the same thought, as the restaurant was dubbed the _Écureuil Rouge_.

_Red Squirrel_, she translated with a wince. Oddly fitting, with its stark exposed red brick interiors and the plates and cups in bold matte red.

"Very bourgeois," Abby commented before claiming the seat furthest from the window, pinning McGee to the wall as everyone else crammed in the booth. She ogled one Airman walking by with his drink, winking at the young man as he gaped back. "Add some black lace and liven up the music, and you could have some head-slamming going here."

"Ahem, yes, one of the nurses mentioned many of the staff comes here. They recommended their coffee highly," Ducky said. He peered at the menu one of the waitresses tossed down at the table before chirping she would be right back. He frowned, squinting through his spectacles at the offerings. "More café than restaurant though, I'm afraid. Only offerings of dark roast coffee and sandwiches, nothing more."

"Espresso?" Abby perked up.

"Many." Ducky raised an eyebrow at her. He watched, bemused, as Abby bounced out of her seat, deciding to get food herself. He chuckled, turning back to the table. "That child makes me weary just looking at her." His smile faded when he got a good look at the other two. Folding his hands together, he leaned back in his seat.

"He's all right, you know."

McGee nodded numbly. He unconsciously mimicked Ducky, tilting his head back to stare at the brass ceiling fan whirling lazily above. "He just…" He shrugged. "I'm not used to Tony being so quiet." He made a face. "Kept expecting to hear him torturing me, calling me 'Probie' and all." Tim cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortably talking about Tony like he was dead.

"Bet I'll get more done the next few weeks than I ever did before," Kate remarked, her chuckle sounding odd. She sat back in her seat, ignoring Ducky's sympathetic nod. She toyed with her purse strap, still damp from the restroom.

"Coffee!" Abby announced, setting a tray down in the center of the table. "Got some eats, too, if you're into the nourishment thing."

"Coffee at nine in the evening?" Ducky clucked. He chose the innocent looking tall red cup of tea and gave it an experimental sniff. Looking surprised, he took a sip and nodded.

"They've got some nice English Breakfast behind the counter. Loose teas, in fact," Abby teased her friend.

"Ah, I remember the most delightful little shop in Oxford that also served English Breakfast loose and straight from India."

"Why call it English then if it's from India?" Abby asked. She listened with a fond smile as Ducky predictably went off about imperialism and the colonization of India. Abby gave McGee an impish grin at his dismayed expression before nudging Kate with her elbow. "Oh, I didn't forget about you. Here you go. One regular house coffee, no foam, soy, three Equals." She didn't wait for Kate's response, already reaching for her triple espresso before McGee could grab it.

Kate mumbled her thanks and took a half-hearted sip of the coffee. One delicate eyebrow rose at the taste. It was surprisingly good, a deep nutty flavor, nothing like the crap Gibbs drank.

"Good," McGee mumbled, taking a hearty gulp of his drink before snatching a fry from Abby's plate. Abby slapped him in the arm as he dipped it into her Russian dressing.

Kate silently agreed as she took another drink. Gibbs, in a rare generous moment, once bought coffee for everyone, ordering his usual roast from the nearby coffeehouse. Unfortunately, the former marine must have lost his taste buds over the years of drinking the same strong brew. Kate chuckled to herself, recalling how DiNozzo blanched after a taste and gingerly set the coffee down in his wastebasket like it was an armed grenade, while McGee eagerly guzzled down his. How McGee could stomach the acrid brew was beyond her. Even Ducky wouldn't drink his, only muttering as he headed downstairs how Abby might want it for analysis. She found a chance to slip away to pour hers down the drain in the ladies' room.

Ducky took an experimental sniff of Abby's drink and nodded. "I don't know why he thought it was atrocious," he murmured to himself.

"What's that?" Abby mumbled as she plucked a fry from McGee's tray.

"Hey!"

"Share, share alike, McGee."

"So you'll let me try a sip of your espresso?"

"You can order one at that counter there."

Kate let the conversation wash over her as she sipped her drink, contemplating the card still in her pocket. She ignored the voice chiding her for taking it. Kate took another sip. She savored the nutty brew and thought she could taste a hint of cinnamon. She took a deep breath of its aroma and tried very hard to listen to the conversations around her. The card sat uncomfortably in her pocket and pricked her all evening.

* * *

It wasn't until she dropped Abby off that Kate realized her PDA was missing from her purse. Parked below Abby's building, Kate thought of one other possibility for the mail bypassing Davenport, and searched for her PDA to make a note to check on it tomorrow at work. Rummaging through her purse, however, Kate discovered it was gone. Sitting in her car, she mentally traced back her steps, and she groaned out loud.

She must have dropped it under the bed in Tony's room. Kate, for a brief moment, debated waiting until tomorrow. But she soon found herself heading back toward Bethesda again.

By now, visiting hours were over. Kate avoided the staff, waiting until the duty nurse left her station before approaching the ICU ward. She could see Tony's room just a few doors away, the ICU viewing window clear to the visible eye, Tony lying exactly the way he had before when they had left him. Kate hurried her steps. She'd just go in real quick, see if Tony looked better, and grab her PDA—She stopped, suddenly realizing there was a shadow crossing the room. As it cleared the small night lamp, she gasped.

It was Gibbs.

The senior agent was walking up and down the room. He didn't look particularly worried, just walking as if he were strolling down the park. Only, Gibbs never strolled. His walk was always quick, efficient and purposeful. This time, however, Kate could tell he was just trying to be quiet, the magazine Gibbs was holding curled in his hand as it struck his palm in beat with his stride.

When Gibbs did an about-face in front of the bed, Kate slipped into one of the corridors and peered around its corner. She watched as the senior agent sat back down again. He grabbed another magazine from the stack on the end table, an eyebrow shooting up when he took in the cover. Gibbs smirked, muttered something under his breath, rotated the magazine vertically to study the centerfold, before flipping it back around and turning back to the first page.

Kate stayed where she was, mind reeling. A smile grew across her face, however, when she caught sight of a red coffee cup Gibbs reached behind for.

"Busted," she murmured, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes widened as Gibbs lifted his head. She ducked back into the corner. No way he could have heard her from there. Kate slowly peered out from her hiding place once more.

The senior agent appeared to be listening to Tony instead. DiNozzo's head turned, the young man restlessly stirring. Gibbs leaned forward, looking intently at him. Kate could see Tony opening his eyes, blinking blearily at the ceiling before turning to Gibbs.

She couldn't hear what Gibbs was saying, or Tony, but whatever it was, Tony didn't seem too happy about the answer. His gaze moved toward the door and lingered on the empty doorway. Gibbs, visible only to Kate, darkened. He leaned back into his seat, the magazine curled and tapping into his palm once more.

Kate's shoulders slumped. The coolly written card sat heavily in her pocket. She thought she could feel its sharp corners cutting through the fabric and into her leg. She knew what Tony was searching for.

After a moment, Tony turned away and shrugged as if it wasn't important. But Kate could tell Gibbs wasn't fooled. To her disappointment, Gibbs shrugged as well, playing along with Tony. He sat back with his magazine and made some sort of remark to Tony, raising the cover up for him to see.

Whatever it was Gibbs said, Tony laughed. The younger agent waved weakly at the magazine and chuckled, a shadow of his familiar smirk twitching as he caught sight of the magazine Gibbs was reading. He opened his mouth to say something more but ended up jerking forward in a harsh cough. He waved a hand at Gibbs, probably to reassure the senior agent as he half rose from his seat and tried to speak, but it looked like another cough interrupted him.

All joking aside, Gibbs leaned forward, one hand gripping Tony's shoulder as the younger man bent over in misery. Shoulders shaking, Tony didn't seem to be able to draw another breath. It was alarming enough for Gibbs to step out of the ICU ward and waved down a nurse.

Before Kate could head over to the ward herself, a white uniform flashed by, entering even as Gibbs returned to Tony's side, one hand now soothingly rubbing the hunched back. He didn't leave even as the nurse nudged him aside to check on Tony.

Tony's hand flailed in the air in an attempt to wave everyone off. Slumping back to his pillow, Tony could only look on as the nurse busied herself listening to his chest with a stethoscope while calmly answering Gibbs' inquiries over her shoulder.

Kate relaxed when she saw the nurse straighten, with a pat of Tony's shoulder. Whatever she said appeared to reassure Gibbs. To Kate's amusement, the nurse patted Gibbs on the arm as well before walking out, her gaze lingering on him before she sashayed out of the room.

Gibbs ignored Tony's grin as he sat back down again. He shook his head at whatever Tony said, swatted the top of his head lightly, and pretended to be engrossed in the magazine once more.

Kate watched with a smile to herself as Gibbs every so often replied back to something Tony said, nodding absently, engrossed in whatever article he was reading. He didn't look up when Tony drifted back to sleep moments later, but no sooner when Tony did, Gibbs set down his magazine and reached over to shut off the light over Tony's head. He sat there, watching Tony silently, reaching for his coffee again. One sip, a grimace, and then Gibbs just sat there, his back ramrod straight, a sentry in the dark.

Kate couldn't bring herself to walk in. Silently, she bid the two men good night and stepped back. Without another glance, she walked away.

* * *

The next morning, Kate returned to work carefully balancing three cups of coffee from their usual coffeehouse. She was surprised to see Gibbs' desk was empty, even of the telltale coffee cup.

"Hey, did you hear?" McGee came up from behind her, sounding cheerful. "Tony's been moved out of ICU this morning."

Her mouth twitched. "Ducky told us it was just a precaution," she needled him. She offered him a cup before moving to her desk.

"Aw, I know, but I was worried," McGee protested before taking a sip.

"Don't let Tony hear you say that," Kate warned with a smirk. "You'll never hear the end of it." She chuckled when Tim blanched.

"I better get back to work," he mumbled, backing away with his drink.

"Best news I've heard all day, McGee," Gibbs commented, suddenly appearing to Kate's left.

She jumped. "Geez, Gibbs," Kate griped. Now she knew what Abby was talking about. "Wear a bell."

"What fun would that be?" Gibbs tossed back before heading for his desk. "Where are my reports?"

"Davenport's faxing them as we speak," Tim answered from his desk. He offered Kate a grin, tipping his coffee cup to her in thanks.

"I have the postmaster of that station coming in at one for some questioning," Kate added. "There are some discrepancies in the work logs for the day the mail was postmarked. Looks like some of his employees were not coming in to work like they say they were."

"Set him up in room two," Gibbs advised. "I also want to see if that woman sent any other letters to anyone else."

Kate reached into her handbag, intending to write it down. She stopped and groaned to herself. No PDA. Great, she'd have to figure a way to sneak back out on her lunch hour and get that.

"Thinking of visiting DiNozzo later," Kate remarked, hoping it would be excuse enough to find her PDA. Hopefully, one of the nurses found it.

Gibbs grunted. "Heard he's moved out of ICU."

_Sure you did_, Kate thought but bit back the smile. If that's how Gibbs wanted to play that, fine. "That's good," she said very slowly. "I uh, got the cards Tony received at the nurse's desk. Told them to give them to him when he wakes up."

Gibbs didn't comment. He looked at the computer screen with a scowl.

Kate stuck her hand in her pocket and fingered the card. Slowly, she pulled it out. "There was one card I took by mistake." She paused. "Maybe you can hold on to it for him?" She handed it over silently.

Eyes narrowing, Gibbs pulled the card back, scanning the brief message. He pressed his lips together as he read it. Then, he took the card and ripped it to two pieces.

Kate glanced over to Tim's desk, but the younger agent either didn't notice or was pretending not to. Either way, she looked back at Gibbs.

"This was the only card, wasn't it?" Gibbs asked quietly. He rubbed the torn pieces together in his hand.

Kate just nodded.

Gibbs sucked in his breath sharply. He then ripped it up once more before tossing it into his wastebasket. He narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to say something.

"Here." Kate set his cup down in the center of his desk.

Gibbs stared at the coffee for a moment. He looked up to find Kate waiting. Gibbs merely lifted the cup and peeled back the lid to give it a sniff. Raising a surprised eyebrow, Gibbs looked up at her.

"Your usual." She smiled cheekily before returning to her desk.

"Kate."

She turned around in time to catch whatever Gibbs tossed at her. She jumped when she realized it was her PDA. She snapped her gaze up to him, but he was sipping his coffee with that knowing smirk of his.

Kate shook her head and sat down, running her hands across the PDA. Glancing back at him, she rolled her eyes at Gibbs drinking his coffee and faced her computer again.

"You're welcome," she muttered, and smiled.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**Author's Acknowledgments:** Many thanks to my beta, my editors and proofreaders of_Brotherhood #1 _who made this fic from idea to story painless and fulfilling. I'd learned so much. Thank you.


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